It's quite possibly a breathing problem. If you snore loudly or get short of breath your sleep will be frequently interrupted.

No i don't snore (much). I also do not wake up gasping at all. I have recently had a chest infection but the waking started befor that. I'm wondering if it is related to anxiety since i always wake up very worried that i am late.

@Tiltyred
Not afraid in the slightest but very aware of being overdiagnosed if that makes sense. I do not have complete faith in the NHS system but i do believe it is excellent in the case of emergencies. The problem with the NHS with general care is that there is no communication between departments and also doctors here (esp G.P's) find it much easier (and cheaper) to medicate than to investigate. I posted here becuase i always like to hear the opinions of real people and was hoping to find some people with similar experiences.

"We knew he was someone who had a tragic flaw, that's where his greatness came from"

Sometimes, and I mean, just throwing this out there but sometimes, doctors actually know more than random folks on forums. Sometimes they don't know, but they know who to refer you to that does. In any case, it's better than sitting around trying to guess what a doctor might advise, deciding you don't want that, and living with the problem, convinced you can't be helped.

Are you afraid of doctors?

oddly enough I have found almost the opposite, especially if it is something a bit out of the norm. Our health care system is built for fast food style medicine, thus I would suggest go to a forum/website that discusses sleep related issues and reading a bit, especially if you are not keen on meds that will just knock you out. If you find other folks who are doing the same thing as you, it may help ease your anxiety over the issue a bit since you seem to actually feel okay.

Doctors mean well, but are overworked and have no time to "think".

I'd suggest finding an INTJ doc if you can as they will be more helpful than an NTP doc for you. You can yell at them, and they just assume you are being direct

There's always Sominex or Unisom OTC, but you shouldn't take the latter if you have breathing problems, which you might have.
You could see a doctor, or a sleep therapist, or someone who is both, because that's going to be your best bet. Hell, I might see one soon. I wake up too frequently as well.

You might just be a heavily segmented sleeper: i.e. you'd naturally be asleep for four hours, up for two hours, then asleep for two to four more hours. Years of being unable to do this wreaked havoc upon your somatic cycles, and as such, your biological clock's hopelessly out of whack.

Next time you have a bit of time available, see if you go to sleep for about four hours before waking up... and then don't try to go to sleep there after. If you naturally drift back after a couple of hours, then that's the culprit.

The upshot to this? It's not weird at all - it's how humans evolved to sleep. Something about having a pair of eyes always peeled for predators.

You might just be a heavily segmented sleeper: i.e. you'd naturally be asleep for four hours, up for two hours, then asleep for two to four more hours. Years of being unable to do this wreaked havoc upon your somatic cycles, and as such, your biological clock's hopelessly out of whack.

Next time you have a bit of time available, see if you go to sleep for about four hours before waking up... and then don't try to go to sleep there after. If you naturally drift back after a couple of hours, then that's the culprit.

The upshot to this? It's not weird at all - it's how humans evolved to sleep. Something about having a pair of eyes always peeled for predators.

Oh this is interesting, it reminds me a little of the Euro Siesta. I remember holidaying in Spain which we used to do every year for the month of August.
We did this (Fambily) From when i was around 11 to around 18.
I find it difficult to sleep during the day though...again it comes down to being afraid of not waking up...not death haha, just not waking for a looong period and missing pick up time.
I think it may stem from waking up really late a while ago, when my youngests bus beeped outside. It was sheer panick as it is very difficult to rush an Autistic child to get ready. The thing is, if i miss the school Bus for my youngest then both my kids miss school, which is a big deal because it puts the whole routine out esp when you have a child with autism.
Problem is, that if this is the problem, i don't know how to fix it, of course i have an alarm but i didn't hear it on that occaision.
I don't want to take sleeping pills because i would be too worried i'd sleep through as i don't sleep enough already. I have tried cammomile tea etc etc.
Guess it's the quacks for me.....

"We knew he was someone who had a tragic flaw, that's where his greatness came from"